Why was Hong Kong important to the british empire?

Java

China supplied Britian with tea.

From its base in India the East India Company led the expansion of the British Empire in Asia.

As well as working with the Royal Navy to oust Napoleon from Egypt, capture Java from the Netherlands, aquire Singapore 1819, defeat of Burma 1826, the East India Co.was making great profits out of the opium export trade to China.

These illegal activites took place from approx 1730's and went some way to redress or reverse the imbalances in trade which were a result of the British imports of tea. This saw large amounts of silver flooding into China from Britain.

In 1839 a large amount of opium was cofiscated by the Chinese authorities. This led Britain to attack China in what became known as the First Opium War, and British seizure of Hong Kong.